What artists, in your opinon, have a “niche market”? And why haven’t others been successful at this?
For instance, clearly Necro, Kool Keith, and even Nelly to some extent have developed a Niche Market and cornered them well.
Who else has done this successfully and why are others not successful?
Aesop, Atmosphere, Brother Ali…
Gucci Mane and similar artists have a niche market of “crackhead teenagers” and have done well targeting that group.
Atmosphere has the emo hip hop fan market.
Mr. Lif, Dead Prez, and other political emcees have the political market.
Tech N9ne has…I don’t know what to call his market, but I think he officially qualifies as a cult leader.
Artists that fail at going after a particular market fail because they’re trying to go after a particular market. The successful ones are the ones that initially tried to bring their style to a wider audience, but end up only appealing to a specific group.
Paul Barman – Nerdcore Hip Hop
It’s difficult to reinvent, and in most cases rappers are not creative passed lyrics.
Aesop Rock has all but conquered the hipster market